Cedric C. Chao
Founder and PrincipalChao ADR, PC
50 California St.Suite 1500
San Francisco, CA 94111 Phone: (415) 293-8088 Email: cedric.chao@chao-adr.com Website: www.chao-adr.com
ADR Services
Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master
Additional Services
International Disputes Consulting; Mock Arbitrations
Specialty Areas
Business; Commercial; Contracts; Energy; Intellectual Property; International; Real Estate; Technology.
ADR Experience/Training
Head of International Litigation and Arbitration Practice of Morrison and Foerster LLP (1996-2013); US Head of the International Arbitration Practice of DLA Piper LLP (2013-2019); sat as ICC, ICDR, AAA, and SIAC Arbitrator; Completed AAA, ICDR, and CIArb training; Lectured on arbitrators' jurisdiction, arbitrator ethics, discovery, remedies, expedited proceedings, adjusting advocacy to meet contrasting rules and expectations in US jury, domestic and international arbitration settings, etc.
Education
B.A. with Distinction and Departmental Honors (Economics), Stanford University; J.D., Harvard Law School
Licenses/Certification
California State Bar; admitted to practice in all US District Courts in California; Ninth, Fifth and Tenth US Circuit Courts of Appeal; US Supreme Court.
Affiliations
Life Member, American Law Institute; One of 31 Advisors to the ALI Project to Draft the Restatement of the US Law of International Commercial and Investment Treaty Arbitration; Former US Member, ICC Arbitration Commission; Member, AAA/ICDR Council; Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London); Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America; Former Chair, Litigation Section of the State Bar of California.
Honors/Awards
Named by The Daily Journal as one of California's "Top 100 Lawyers" (September 2018); Named by Best Lawyers in America as the "2018 San Francisco Arbitration Lawyer of the Year," and the "2020 San Francisco Mediation Lawyer of the Year;" Recipient of the Daily Journal's prestigious "2019 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year" award for thought leadership regarding international arbitration; Listed in Global Arbitration Review's "International Who's Who in Commercial Arbitration,” in Euromoney's Guide to World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration, in Euromoney's Guide to World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers, and in Northern California Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters).
Articles/Publications
Co-author (with Hon. Daniel Weinstein) of the chapter on mediation in Thomson Reuters' treatise Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts (5th Ed. 2021); Author, "Six Trends that Will Shape Future International Commercial Disputes," Law 360 (2017); Author, "Should Technology Companies Arbitrate?" Corporate Counsel (2017). See www.chao-adr.com or LinkedIn page for speaking engagements and additional publications.
Gary L. Benton
US and International Arbitrator and MediatorGary Benton Arbitration
555 Bryant StreetSte. 523
Palo Alto, CA 94301 Phone: (650) 283-5949 Email: gary@garybentonarbitration.com Website: www.garybentonarbitration.com/
ADR Services
- Mediation
- Arbitration
Additional Services
Gary Benton is an internationally recognized Arbitrator and Mediator with expertise in international business, corporate investment, high tech, telecom, life sciences and emerging growth matters.
Specialty Areas
- Business
- Commercial
- Contracts
- Employment
- Energy
- Entertainment
- Intellectual Property
- International
- Intra– Organizational
- Partnership Disputes
- Patent/Trademark
- Securities
ADR Experience/Training
Over 35 years - has handled hundreds of cases around the world and serves on the panels of AAA, ICC, CPR and other leading ADR institutions in the US, Europe and Asia.
Appointed USDC NDCA Early Neutral Evaluator.
Education
AB cum laude, Washington University (Political Science, International Development and Earth & Planetary Sciences)
JD cum laude. Tulane University
Legal studies, UC Hastings (non-matriculated)
International studies, Stanford Univ. (non-matriculated)
Licenses/Certification
Qualified as a US lawyer (California and DC) and an English solicitor
Admitted US S.Ct., 9th Cir., Fed Cir. and all California federal district courts
Affiliations
Full time Arbitrator and Mediator;
Adjunct Professor of Law at Santa Clara University;
Founder/Chairman of Founder and Chairman of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC);
Previously a partner with Coudert Brothers and Pillsbury.
Honors/Awards
CIArb Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow; College of Commercial Arbitrators Fellow, NADN Appointee.
Named by the National Law Journal as one of the 25 ADR Trendsetters and Visionaries in the US. Also named to IAM 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists.
Articles/Publications
See website www.garybentonarbitration.com for full publications listing
Additional affiliations: CIArb, CCA, NADN, ICCA, IBA, ABA, CLA, SVAMC, iTechLaw, AIPLA.
Co-Chair of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) International ADR Committee.
Neil R. Bardack
PartnerHanson Bridgett LLP
425 Market Street, 26th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: (415) 995-5849 Fax: (415) 995-3570 Email: nbardack@hansonbridgett.com Website: www.hansonbridgett.com
ADR Services
Arbitration; Mediation
Additional Services
AAA Arbitrator; SF Superior Judge Pro Tem; BASF Fee Arbitration Panel and Mediation; San Francisco Superior Court Mandatory Settlement Conference Panel.
Specialty Areas
Legal Malpractice; HOA/Davis Stirling Act Compliance; Real Estate and Leases; Business; Legal Malpractice; Commercial; Securities; Environmental & Natural Resources.
ADR Experience/Training
Longtime and skilled arbitrator with more than 42 years on the American Arbitration Association Commercial-Panel, arbitrating matters involving commercial, real estate, technology and securities. Also serves as a Pro Tem Judge for the San Francisco Superior Court and an arbitrator and mediator for the BASF Fee Dispute Panel.
Education
J.D., Hastings College of the Law, 1970; A.B., cum laude, University of Southern California, 1967.
Licenses/Certification
California Bar, 1970.
Affiliations
Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Northern California.
Honors/Awards
Northern California Super Lawyer in 2004, 2005, 2006.
Articles/Publications
Author, "Selected Panelist and Contributor to Contract Negotiations and Preparation in the Oil and Gas Industry: Drafting Complete and Unambiguous Agreements," 2005, Lorman Education Services; Author, "California Supreme Court Clears the Way for Increased Judicial Review of Arbitration Awards," February 2009, The Bar Association of San Francisco Bulletin; Author, "Do's and Don't's on Maximizing Arbitration," October 2011, The Daily Journal; Co-Author, "Navigating Unconscionability Post-Concepcion," December 2011, Law 360; Co-Author, "Renewed Attention to Arbitration Agreements," April 2012, CALA Legal Update; Author, "What Executives and General Counsel Need to Know About Drafting ADR Provisions in Contracts," August 2012, ExecSense.
Urs M. Laeuchli Esq.
Arbitration Chambers
Email: mking@sfbar.org Website: www.sfbar.org/adr-services/mediation-panelists/laeuchli/ADR Services
Arbitration; Mediation.
Additional Services
ADR System Design; Collaborative Law; Conciliation; Consulting; MedArb; Negotiation.
Specialty Areas
Business; Civil Rights; Commercial; Education; Environmental; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Issues; International; Malpractice (Legal, Medical, etc.); Probate/ Trust; Real Estate.